Doubts shadow schools’ merger plan

The Education Agency’s plan to downsize the number of state elementary schools is raising doubts on whether it would effectively improve education in the city.
Ami, 41, a mother of two daughters who study at State Elementary School (SDN) Kenari No. 04 in Senen, Central Jakarta, said she hoped that the new principal could maintain access to the school’s facilities.
“I hope the upcoming principal will give the same opportunity for students to make use of the facilities and do the same afterschool activities,” she said.
Ami said the school, which is within the same compound as other five state elementary schools, said only the ones that operate in the mornings had access to dancing and drum activities.
A room for computer activities, she said, was only accessible to certain schools.
Ami said she hoped the appointed principal would be able to upgrade the quality of the students, so they could be equal to their peers in the complex.
A lack of space prevents several schools in the city from having their own buildings and supporting facilities, forcing them to take turns in using buildings and facilities.
The regular arrangement is schools with odd school numbers in one compound have morning schedules while the ones with even numbers come in the afternoons.
Teachers and principals of the schools also share faculty and principal rooms.
SDN Kenari No. 01 to 06, use the same U-shaped three-storied building for their daily activities.
The six schools share a small school yard, a library and a mosque.
In the recent plan, the agency would merge schools located in the same complex, which share the same building and yard, into one management.
“Principals who are not selected will go back to teaching,” said Taufik Yudi, head of the Education Agency.
Temporary data from the agency said the state schools that would be merged included SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan No. 05 and 07, SDN Cipete Utara No. 09 to 12, South Jakarta and SDN Grogol Selatan No. 01 to 04 in West Jakarta and SDN Kenari 07 to 12 in Central Jakarta.
Wayan Sularto, a sport teacher that teaches in two of the Kenari schools, said the merge means that a principal would have to deal with hundreds of students and dozens of teachers.
“It will not be easy for the principal,” he said.
“Getting used to leading a larger school requires time.”
Karmin, the principal of SDN Kenari No. 4,  smiled nervously as he talked about the merge plan.
The plan, which requires less principals, would result in the demotion of five principals.
“Isn’t it a pity? We, principals, don’t know what our fate will be,” he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
He said it would be inconvenient for principals to step down from their position and become full-time teachers. 
Karmin, who has been overseeing 150 students at his school for two years, will have to compete with five other principals in the complex to become the only principal over 600 students.
A number of students said they did not mind having new principals.
Trisna, a student at SDN Kenari 2, it would not matter for her to have a principal from another school.